Behzad Farivar: The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the human body. W. Darrin Clouse: Aortic procedures are different from a heart procedure or from a strict vascular procedure, simply because it requires a concentrated effort and understanding of the entirety of the aorta in both the chest and the abdomen. John Kern: In this environment, we work very well together. We've been performing high-end aortic care and aortic surgery for decades, and we really are one of the premier aortic centers in the region. W. Darrin Clouse: I think our aortic center is unique in that we have two nice hybrid rooms. We have state-of-the-art cardiac surgery rooms. We have state-of-the-art interventional radiology suites. We have state-of-the-art catheterization laboratories, and all these are co-located on the second floor of the new UVA tower. Behzad Farivar: Our team consists of cardiac surgery, cardiology, vascular surgery, interventional radiology, genetics, nutrition support, physical therapy, rheumatology hematology, and vascular medicine. Kenan Yount: We felt like it was best to co-locate all of our clinics and all of our expertise and consolidate that into an aortic center so that a patient could have their disease treated by all the experts at once, rather than having to ping pong around to the various experts. This is an example of us trying to tailor our healthcare delivery and center it on the patient and the patient's disease process. John Kern: We have individuals across the board, from physicians to nurses, to nurse practitioners and physician's assistants to therapists. And all they do is take care of patients with aortic diseases. So the specialty and the expertise is there. Allison Kirkner: We have a strong cadre of advanced practice providers as well. Advanced practice providers are specialty-trained, masters-prepared providers. We utilize nurse practitioners and physician assistants here at UVA within the aortic center. Our advanced practice providers will help you throughout your stay. They are often the face of the team. We will help to translate the plan, the daily plan from our surgical team, from our ICU team, and help to explain complex surgeries alongside our surgeons, help to explain what your goals should be after surgery, whether that's your daily goal, whether that's your long-term goal, whether that's when you can expect to resume your daily activities. Kenan Yount: UVA really has a long legacy in the treatment of aortic disease. Some of the first trials done for endovascular treatments were done here at UVA. And we also have, relatively, one of the higher volume open surgery practices that focus on diseases of the aorta. John Kern: We have a broad range of expertise. We have the dedicated resources available to take care of these patients. And I think their chances of an outstanding outcome are better here than nearly anywhere else.